Description of Study: Evaluation of the outcomes of the first three years of a statewide program.
Findings: 87% of mediations ended in agreement. Issues most likely to be settled were: whether a guardian was needed and who it should be (86%); level of care needed (88%); living arrangements for the adult (90%); and how decisions should be made (83%). Least ...
Description of Study: Examined the long-term satisfaction of mediating couples in York County, PA.
Findings: Parties were satisfied over all. Short-term and long-term satisfaction were related. Satisfaction with mediation was significantly affected by whether an agreement was reached. ...
Description of Study: Examined domestic relations mediation in thirteen courts in Maine and six courts in Ohio in relation to fairness and satisfaction.
Findings: Maine:Parties overall perceived the process to be fair (93% thought it was very or somewhat fair). Most parties were satisfied – 83% were very or somewhat satisfied. There was little sense by parties that mediation reduced costs (15%) or time involve...
Description of Study: Reports on the findings of two studies of three custody and visitation mediation programs and one divorce mediation program that included support and property division as well: the Winnipeg Study, and the Divorce and Family Mediation Study (Montreal, Saskatoon, St. John’s).
Findings: Across sites, 80% to 90% of respondents felt the mediator was fair; 16% felt pressured into an agreement before they were ready. The settlement rate in the Winnipeg Study was 65% per the mediators, 46% per the parties. The settlement rate in the DFMS...
Description of Study: Examination of whether mediation could be effective at later stages of appellate process, and what the reaction of attorneys was to this mediation program.
Findings: Of the 308 cases screened into the program, 88 settled through mediation. Statistical analysis revealed that the only variable that had an effect on settlement was the amount of time the case remained under negotiation – the longer it remained open, ...
Description of Study: Evaluation of five pilot court-annexed civil mediation programs in California - three mandatory programs (Fresno, Los Angeles, and San Diego Counties) and two voluntary programs (Contra Costa and Sonoma Counties), in which mediation was to occur earlier than in programs that had been in place.
Findings: 58% of unlimited cases and 71% of limited cases settled as a result of mediation. Looking at all cases (comparing all cases in each group, not just those that went to mediation to those that did not), the trial rate was reduced 24 to 30 percent in Sa...
Description of Study: Evaluation of the impact of Minnesota Supreme Court Rule 114 (requiring attorneys to consider ADR in every civil case and discuss it with their clients and opposing counsel) on the use of mediation in Minnesota.
Findings: Attorneys chose mediation because it saved litigation expenses (67.9%) and because it made settlement more likely (57.4%). However, they did not think it reduced their workload. Mediation as compared to litigation process: 46.7% said it saved attorne...
Description of Study: Examination of impact of mediation on cases in which the child had been removed in Surrey Provincial Court, British Columbia.
Findings: 92% of all issues (348/378) were resolved, with those involving services for the parents having the highest resolution rate, and parenting the lowest. The entire case was resolved 83% of the time, while it was partially resolved in 12% of the cases. ...
Description of Study: Compared disposition times and court activity for cases in Cobb County, Georgia, which had a mediation program, and Gwinnett County, Georgia, which did not.
Findings: While there was no significant change in time to disposition in Gwinnett County, there was a significant drop in the number of days to disposition in Cobb County during the first 6 months of the program (57 day drop). The long-term effect, however, w...
Description of Study: Looked at case processing time for family, small claims, and community cases in 8 mediation programs throughout Iowa that were receiving state ADR funds.
Findings: The programs did not appear to affect the time to disposition or the number of pre-trial hearings or motions. They did appear to reduce the number of pre-trial conferences. Attorneys indicated a high degree of satisfaction with the programs and belie...
